To me, Nicole is a favorite of TPTB because she gets lots of story. Yes, she comes out on the losing end a lot (she reminds me of late 90s and early 2000s Sami in that way), but the writers clearly love writing for her. And loving a character doesn't always mean you write good outcomes for them. Most writers torture their favorites because it creates more story for them.

That's why she gets a lot of promotion, right? And twitter updates? But, they definitely write well for them. This is about the only story they're getting right. But, I'm talking about writer favorites that don't necessarily seem like fan favorites. With your logic, then the writers just adore Marlena!